Carl Froch has revealed he is closer to fighting James DeGale than Gennady Golovkin but says he does not want to take either bout just for the sake of it.
Froch, who turned 38 on Thursday, has not fought since dismantling George Groves at Wembley more a year ago and is wary of making the mistakes he feels were made by the likes of Ricky Hatton and Naseem Hamed.
Speaking to Steve Bunce on his Boxing Podcast, the former world super middleweight champion said he would rather follow the path taken by Sugar Ray Leonard.
"If I was 28 I'd probably have two or three more [fights] but I'm 38," Froch said. "If I was playing tennis or football I'd probably have five or six more but I'm in the hurt game.
"I've got to consider the hurt against the reward and you know, the risk is very high not just for my health but my legacy as well and my credibility and I'd like to remain on top.
"Top fighters, better fighters than me dare I say, Roy Jones Jr, even Ricky Hatton and Naeem Hamed, I was massive fan of Naseem Hamed but they sort of tarnished their legacies late on by having a few bad fights, maybe having one or two fights too many and I don't want to do that.
"Not just for me but for my family, and the sport itself."
He added: "I look at Sugar Ray Leonard now and when I meet him and speak to him and see what a fantastic career he's had, and he's still got all his scruples intact and he's very articulate.
"He retired at the right time and got out on top, I know he had a couple of losses but you know, in my eyes he's the perfect role model for someone who's retired at the right time."
Froch also revealed that the demands made by Golovkin, including dropping down substantially in weight, mean that he is more likely to face DeGale if he takes on either.
"I think it's James DeGale or it's Gennady Golovkin," he said. "Probably in that order."
However, Froch said in order to fight he would have to "actually fancy getting in there again and fancy a challenge, fancy the training and wanna go in there and do it once more".
"If they called up tomorrow and said we've got the DeGale fight and we think it will sell Wembley, and they start being reasonable with the split they're looking for then maybe," he added.
"But all of a sudden now he's champion, he's getting a bit unrealistic about how much he's worth and I don't need to be listening to that silly talk and bowing down to anyone who thinks they may be the next big thing.
"At the end of the day people get excited when I box and I always bring a big following with me because I always leave it all in the ring. So it all needs to be right before I accept any fight."